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Ubaldo, Tomlin can't contain Angels

Ubaldo, Tomlin can't contain Angels

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Acta on Ubaldo's outing 1:28

3/8/12: Indians manager Manny Acta shares his thoughts on Ubaldo Jimenez's outing against the Angels and how the team fought

By Jordan Bastian
/
MLB.com |

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Angels used a burst of early offense, with Alberto Callaspo and Alexi Amarista delivering big hits against a pair of Indians starters, to pick up a 6-5 Cactus League victory over the Indians on Thursday afternoon at Goodyear Ballpark.

Tribe right-handers Ubaldo Jimenez and Josh Tomlin -- key pieces within Cleveland's rotation -- covered the first five innings and combined to surrender six runs. Jimenez yielded two runs in his second outing of the spring for the Indians (2-3-1) and Tomlin relinquished four runs in his three-inning taste of the Angels (3-1).

Angels starter Dan Haren struck out three in two hitless innings and Hisanori Takahashi followed with two more in the 2012 Cactus League debut for both of them.

"I was most happy with my command," Haren said. "I got caught in between a couple cutters -- I was pulling them, getting behind a few counts -- but overall my command felt really good. I only threw one curveball and one split, which was pretty much the plan coming in. It was almost all fastball/cutter. I've still got work to do, obviously with my curveball and split, but I've got plenty of time."

In the first inning, Amarista singled off Jimenez, stole second base and later crossed home plate on a wild pitch. Callaspo helped push the Halos to a 2-0 lead in the first inning with a single that plated Vernon Wells. In his lone at-bat against Jimenez, slugger Albert Pujols drew an eight-pitch walk.

Jimenez was charged with two runs on two hits with two walks and a wild pitch in his two innings of work. The lanky right-hander struggled to command his sinker in a 31-pitch first inning, but switched to using his four-seamer more often in the second inning, which he escaped unscathed on eight pitches.

The Angels continued to pour on the offense in the fourth inning, when Tomlin allowed four consecutive hits to Bobby Wilson, Andrew Romine, Doug Deeds and Amarista. Within that brief outburst, Deeds delivered an RBI single and Amarista brought home two more runs with a triple to make it 5-0.

Wilson added a run-scoring single in the fifth inning against Tomlin, who was charged with four runs on six hiters in his three frames on the hill.

"When Ubaldo started the game, he was a little erratic in the first inning," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "After that, he got in a good groove in the second inning and ended up on a positive note. Tomlin was his usual. He threw the ball over the plate. They found some holes and got some hits off him."

After being blanked over the first four innings by Haren and Takahashi, the Indians broke through for three runs in the fifth inning. Facing Matt Meyer, Ezequiel Carrera sliced a pitch into left field for a two-run single with the bases loaded. Shin-Soo Choo later added a sacrifice fly.

In the sixth inning, Jose Lopez -- in the mix for a bench job with the Indians -- launched a two-run home run off Angels righty Rich Thompson, cutting L.A.'s lead down to 6-5. The blast scored Russ Canzler, who opened the inning with a single down the right-field line.

Up next for Indians: Indians third baseman Jack Hannahan, who is competing with Lonnie Chisenhall for the starting job at the hot corner, is among the players making the trip to Maryvale Baseball Park on Thursday for a 3:05 p.m. ET tilt against the Brewers. Veteran right-hander Derek Lowe will start for Cleveland.